Father Dave, I can understand why the good citizens of Marrickville might wonder over local govt venturing into international affairs. However, I am of great age and antiquity and a relic of the anti-apartheid campaign of the 1970s. It amazes me how, on so many topics, there is a collective amnesia resulting in the syndrome of Five Minute Memories (FMMs).

The comments I hear over BDS are very similar to the ones made against the South African boycotts. Australia's S/African boycotts made a major contribution to the downfall of apartheid. Desmond Tutu has thanked and praised us for this and he is a supporter of BDS.

Nelson Mandela was not always the sainted personage he is to-day. The African National Congress was, once upon a time, regarded as a creature of violence and not respectable at all. Sporting Boycotts were ludicrous and people said sport and politics should not mix. We started with sporting boycotts within the sphere of the Commonwealth nations. Later this moved to trade boycotts supported and implemented by the Australian Government.

The whole point of boycotts is that they tend to begin at the bottom with citizens, passionate organisations. Only later do they become widespread and/or get taken up by governments and get an official and respectable imprimatur.

Australians need to recognise that Israel is a religious state which not only discriminates against those who are not Jewish, they discriminate against their own i.e. progressive/reform/secular Jews. So many of us who were once supportive of Israel find we can no more. Israel has become a ghetto-building apartheid state which commits its own share of war crimes while willing to critique any resistance to ethnic cleansing as terror.

Why arent we Israel's brother's keeper!
Israel is the first country to put their hand up to go and help and give aid....even to palestine!
The world need to really wake up and have a look at what is going on.
Israel is a nation of Peace....But why should they give up what is there's because they are being bullied....
Israel do not show they are better than anyone because they are the Holy Land!! They welcome everyone and help everyone? They are their brother's keeper, and we can all learn a thing or two by the way they conduct themselves....If i lost my daughter in the fighting, of course i would be hurt, angry & heartbroken...but who would be too blame? A country who is defending themselves or the country that is attacking to force them to give up their rights due to their own evil desires of control! Israel will stand forever no matter who comes against it? But all those who are against Israel will be cursed and all those who stand with her will be Blessed... we see what happens in the countries that dont support Israel! Which side do you choose?

angelmaree, that has to be about the most bizarre post I have ever read. Were you not aware that Palestine does not exist? Were you not aware that Palestinians live under a military occupation? The Israeli's want their land but do not want the people. They do not welcome everybody. Only Jews can immigrate freely to Israel. The Palestinians who were driven from their land on the creation of the state of Israel are not free to return. The Palestinians living in the Occupied West Bank do not have the vote. They are not citizens of Israel. They are not citizens of Palestine as no such country exists yet. And the land for that proposed country is being stolen by Israel who is building settlements on it.
The Palestinians living in Gaza are not able to leave Gaza. It is essentially a giant prison. The fishermen cannot fish. The farmers cannot sell their goods. The builders cannot buy concrete to rebuild the homes that have been destroyed by Israeli bombs. Apparently the Israelis are concerned that some of the concrete may be used to build bunkers so the Palestinians can protect themselves from being killed by Israeli bombs. And you idolise the people who commit these atrocities

Well put Dave; Angelmaree's response is a clear example of the sad ignorance about the theft of Palestinians land by modern Israel ,riding on the wave of compassion for Holocaust survivors,as they systematically bulldozed Arab homes to build settlements in defiance of UN resolutions.

We should not underestimate the Zionist reaction to the effectiveness of the BDS campaign and their hand in mounting this strategy to discredit supporters of BDS and intimidate Marrickville Council,the Greens and the ALP in NSW State Politics to back off for fear of losing votes from the Jewish Community.

What many Australians do not know is that progressive Jews who are conscious of the Ethnic Cleansing being carried out by the Israel Defence Force, actually support the non violent BDS Campaign.

This nonsense is clear evidence of our ridiculous multi cultural policies which have failed dismally. The only democratically and civilised community in the middle east is Israel and now we have a selected lefist version of history brainwashing many leading to bizarre actions.Why not rally against the bomb attacks against innocent civilians. No of course that would not fit the ideological dogma of those who secretly want Israel wiped off the map.

Runner, you know full well that Israel is neither Democratic nor Civilized. Israel is an aggressive,military,Jewish State that will bring about it's own downfall if it continues it's present refusal to honestly participate in peace talks